Lee Vining, CA

Today I went across Tioga Pass to see Mono Lake and visit Lee Vining. A fabulous day full of sun, rain, hail, and snow. All things come and go, especially going across the High Sierras.

The sun rose this morning and then so did I. Just as my coffee started to bubble, the power went out. I took that as a sign to head on out.

I started over at the gas station so I would have a full tank. For my car and my body, since I also got some coffee and a breakfast bagel.

The first section of driving is my commute, so nothing of interest there. It is fun going through the gate when I’m not working. It’s like a mini check in during my weekend and I get to share energy with someone from my team.

The first half of Tioga Pass, I have already done. That’s about halfway at Tenaya Lake. After that, everything was new.

I was intent on getting all the way across the pass. I wanted to see what the Tioga Pass entrance station looked like and see Mono Lake for myself. I made it all the way through the gate before I stopped. Then I pulled off at Tioga Lake.

A soft scramble led me down to the stone creating a viewpoint to enjoy lake. The view was enchanting, but I knew this wasn’t the destination, so I scrambled back up to the car. While on the bluff overlooking the lake I saw rain and snow. It felt liberating, like all the seasons filtering together for a moment. When I got back into the car it started to hail. Thankfully, I didn’t take that one to the head.

The next stop was when Mono Lake came into view — a massive, unique body of water that is part of legends and history in this land.

A vista point was on a very clever road called Vista Pl.

On this bluff overlooking lake, there was some beautiful interpretation.

My next stop was the Mono Lake Committee Information center and Bookstore. The selection and service here was top notch. I found a few tid-bits to remember my trip by and signed up for a membership to help save Mono Lake!

The landscape of the east side reminds me of the desert in a lot of ways, especially the east road out of Zion National Park. More water covers this land, but the shapes are very similar. Travelling to the east of the Sierras showed me how the land changes toward the “wild west.” Yosemite is a gateway to the wilderness.